RAVEN—REDBREAST, 189 
Its association with the story of Noah’s Ark is known to 
all. The Romans, who consecrated the Raven to Apollo, 
regarded it as a foreteller of good or evil. In somewhat 
later times, it became in England very generally accepted 
as a bird of ill-omen. It is thus frequently alluded to in 
Shakespeare. In “ Othello” (act 1v, sc. 1) we find a refer- 
ence to its flying over a house in which there is sickness 
being an omen of death— 
As doth the Raven o’er the infectious house, 
Boding to all. 
Marlowe (‘‘ Jew cf Malta’) alludes to the same superstition. 
According to Dyer the belief is still held in Cornwall that 
the croaking of a Raven over the house bodes evil to some 
member of the family. Ravens’ feathers are said to have 
been used by witches, and Shakespeare (‘‘ Tempest,” act 1, 
sc. 2) has :— 
As wicked dew as e’er my mother brush’d 
With raven’s feather from unwholesome fen. 
In Rowlands’s “More Knaves Yet” (ca. 1613) allusion 
is made to a curious belief that if a Raven cries just overhead 
“some in the Towne have lost their virtue.” Drayton 
also alludes to “‘ the black night-raven’s throat ”’ as boding 
ill. According to Inwards it is a popular belief that if 
Ravens croak three or four times and flap their wings fine 
weather is expected. 
RAVEN or RAVEN Crow. According to Nel on and Clarke the 
CARRION-CROW is so called in parts of Yorkshire. 
Ray’s Waatar.. See YELLOW WAGTAIL 
RAZORBILL [No. 443]. Occurs first in Merrett (1667). 
Willughby mentions it as “The bird called Razorbill in 
the West of England, Auk in the North, Murre in Cornwall.” 
Sibbald calls it the Auk and says it is “the Scout of our 
country folk” (i.e. the Scots). 
RAZOR-GRINDER: The NIGHTJAR. (Norfolk.) From _ its 
jarring note. 
RED-BACKED SHRIKE [No. 112]. The name, which is 
derived from the bright red-brown mantle, seems to occur 
first in Pennant (1766) as “ Red-back’t Butcher Bird,” 
which in later editions is changed to Red-backed Shrike. 
RED-BILLED Heron: The BUFF-BACKED HERON. (Pen- 
nant.) 
REDBREAST [No. 185, British Redbreast, No. 184, Continental 
Redbreast]. Properly a contraction of the old English name 
“Robin Redbreast.”” Modern writers have, however, pre- 
ferred the name Redbreast to the much more popular name 
